alternative fuel

America's food chain has lately produced a bumper crop of scary news, but the worst food-related threat to our health was being caused by U.S. energy policy: Here's how the corn ethanol subsidy was making us fatter, and why to be glad that Congress finally killed it.

Toyota Motor's recent $50 million investment in electric-car upstart Tesla Motors is already paying dividends. Tesla reportedly will ship two prototypes, based on Toyota's RAV4 sport utility vehicle and Lexus RX crossover, to the Japanese automaker later this month.

Toyota, maker of the popular Prius hybrid, is preparing to move into other alternative-fuel technologies such as hydrogen fuel-cells and biofuels. Its recent large investment in Tesla Motors is just the first such partnership the world's largest automaker is pursuing.